Need
by Catygirl
Summary: Captured on a planet with the rest of SG1, Sam starts to feel really strange. Who will help her? She knows who she needs but will she get a happy ending?
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Well folks after asking for story suggestions I have two working their way through my mind. This story however is for NurseKelly who was begging for a new story and I found this one on my computer. It is 3 chapters long and comes with a T rating.

Also - please note it comes with an **attempted suicide warning**, so if that bothers you please don't read.

Well thanks to you all for the support and the suggestions from two reviewers that have really got my muse working again.

Will post the next chapter tomorrow. Enjoy.

**Need**

What had these weird people given her? She felt odd, decidedly out of it and, very strangely, quite frankly, horny. She was locked in a cell about 6 feet wide with white walls and no windows. The guys had been here before she'd been taken but now that she was back they were gone.

She couldn't be certain but as she scrutinised the walls she was convinced that one wall served as a window into her cell, which was a very discomforting thought.

Time passed and she was becoming more and more out of it. Oh, she was feeling peculiar. She was hot, itchy, and needed to cool down. Then, in a blinding flash she knew exactly what she needed: him. Why? Where were they?

Her clothes and combat wear – not to mention weapons – were long gone. They'd been taken from them when they'd been captured. What a really screwed up recon mission this had turned into. Where were her team mates? Where was he?

She moved around the cell feeling like a caged animal. She began prowling round the walls, ready to pounce, but no one appeared.

Finally, the door opened and her team walked in. They looked dazed. They were dressed in the same type of dress as she'd been given, only theirs were grey while hers was white. She was on the floor but didn't have the energy now to get up and walk.

She began crawling towards them and Daniel knelt down to speak her. "Sam, what's wrong?" Her hair was in disarray, her dress was filthy and badly creased after having been wrung in her hands and in some places ripped.

"Need... Daniel... Need help!" Sam responded. In her head she could acknowledge she sounded like she had that stupid Touched virus but her mind couldn't help her find the words although they were there. "Something's... wrong," she managed to get out.

Sam scuttled back into the corner. "Need... You!" she uttered, looking straight at Jack.

Jack was looking round the cell, still very unsure about what was going on. They'd been taken away and given food and drink by their captors but there'd been no sign of Sam. They'd been assured that she was fine but looking at her now she certainly didn't look fine. Far from it. "Daniel, help Carter," he said brusquely and turned to look straight at the wall he'd decided was an obvious window. "T, see if you can get some answers."

Jack turned back around to look at Sam. He wasn't happy. He was beginning to feel antsy and angry and could feel severe distress spreading throughout his body, as if it had started at his toes and was now rising. It had reached his chest before he finally worked out what was causing it. Her! He'd been unhappy since he'd found out that Sam was dating. Normally, this fact wouldn't affect him, particularly on a mission, but this fact was starting to really bug him today.

Meanwhile, Daniel had laid Sam down at the back of the room and was sitting beside her.

"You can't help," she whimpered, clawing at her dress. "Need him."

Daniel tried to hush her, tried to calm her, but was obviously failing.

"We demand an explanation of these events," Teal'c stated to the wall.

Sam was getting more and more fretful. "Nothing will help. Only him!" she cried out to Daniel.

At that moment the door opened and two older men, dressed as scientists would on Earth, stood viewing the scene.

"It has clearly been effective," said one.

"Yes, we will now begin to understand these aliens better," stated the other.

Daniel, beginning to realise that Sam's odd behaviour was what the men were expecting, sat up. "Please, our friend is in distress. Help us to understand what's happening."

"A female must belong to a male," the first man answered.

"Your female needs to be joined to someone. One of you," the second man concluded.

"You drugged her to accept one of us?" Daniel asked incredulously, noting Teal'c's fighting stance as he looked around. He then did a double take at Jack's complete acceptance of the situation.

"No, you misunderstand," the younger man jumped in to defend his culture. "In our society every female is destined to be with only one male. Our T'amore prompts the female to pick the one with whom she is destined to be joined."

"Well, the one she's chosen isn't here," Jack spat out, irritation and distain dripping from his voice.

Daniel looked over towards him, surprised by his tone.

"No, need _you_," Sam whimpered from the rear of the room, pulling at her dress.

Returning his focus to the doorway, Daniel cleared his throat "Em… how will this uh… situation be resolved?"

The scientists were beginning to look a little flustered "We believed she was with one of you. Is she not sent on this exploration to choose one of you?" The younger one was stunned.

"No, she isn't." Jack fumed. "She's made her choice and he's back on Earth!"

"She must be allowed to return and complete the ritual," the younger one stated, concerned at the damage keeping the subject from her chosen one could do.

"Just to clarify, how does she complete the ritual?" Daniel asked.

"She must come together with the one she is destined for, physically. They would join forever," the older scientist explained.

All the attention was then centred at the back of the room, where Sam was whimpering and moving restlessly on the floor. She began calling quietly, "Sir... Jack..."

"She seems to have chosen you. You may not leave until this is resolved!" the older scientist stated emphatically and walked out the door, furious, resetting the controls.

Daniel couldn't believe what was happening. For three years he'd watched his team mates dance around each other. Now, when Sam needed him, Jack was being a jerk.

"Jack, what's going on?" Daniel asked. "You can see Sam needs you. Help her!"

Jack was seething but managed to keep his anger in check, if only just, while replying, "Daniel, I have no idea what that drug is doing to her but in her right mind Sam wants nothing to do with me. So save it. I'm not 'helping' her as you so casually put it."

In the corner Sam was getting more and more distressed. Her moans and whimpers were increasing in volume and she was twisting and turning, the long dress getting caught underneath her.

Jack was getting angrier and angrier and until he finally realised that he had somewhere to direct his anger – towards her. "Shut up, Carter!" Jack shouted as he began to walk towards her.

Sam jerked back further into the corner, recoiling at his tone.

"I'm not going to help you. I'm not going to sleep with you. You made your choice and you didn't choose me. You chose _him_. You chose not to wait for me after I'd worked for days to find you when you went missing on Prometheus. So I hope you're suffering. You need to suffer." Jack had advanced towards her during his rant and was towering over her when he snapped a final sentence spitefully at her, "You deserve to suffer."

Sam curled herself in a ball, trying to protect herself from his attack.

Before Daniel and Teal'c could stop him Jack continued. "I used to think that I cared for you but now that I know you can so easily throw me away I'm going to do the same. You mean nothing to me, Carter."

Jack turned, leaving Sam weeping on the floor. He stalked the short distance to his other team mates. Daniel had his mouth open and was about to say something when Jack ordered, "Daniel, do something with…" He waved his hand in a dismissing gesture towards Sam. "Teal'c, find a way to get us out of here."

Just then the door opened and the young scientist was standing there looking furtive. "Quick, come with me. You must leave here." He shook his head, confused with the situation. "We have never faced a situation where the male rejects the female. It is unheard of here." He tried to get them to move quicker. "Come, you must go home, see if your medicine can help her. Maybe the one she has chosen on your planet will help, although I do not understand why she has chosen two different people." The man looked quickly into the corridor to check it was still empty.

Teal'c, sensing Jack was not going to help, went to pick up a sobbing Sam and they all followed the man, making their way quietly through the complex. The Stargate on this planet was in the basement of the building they were in. The young scientist explained that it wasn't really guarded as they had a shield. However, their 'gate required a password to activate it before any symbols could be entered into the DHD. Fortunately, the young scientist had been trusted with the code.

"Here, take this." The scientist handed Daniel a small container. "It is some of the T'amore. It may aid your doctors in helping her."

"Thanks… I think," Daniel replied, moving towards the 'gate.

The group made it safely through the 'gate to the Alpha site as, without GDO's, they couldn't return immediately to Earth. Once at the Alpha site Jack pulled rank and they did a quick turnaround and were on their way home, even with the protests of the Alpha Site CO.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well here is chapter 2, thanks for the reviews and alerts. Hope you all continue to enjoy this. ****Would love to hear what you think. **

**Can I remind you of the attempt****ed suicide warning from chapter 1. **

Chapter 2

Sam was in an horrific state by the time Teal'c put her in an infirmary bed. She was whimpering, sometimes calling out and desperately reaching for Jack. The team were staying with her but watching from a distance, all perched on another bed where the new doctor had forced them to sit.

How were they going to explain this to the General? Not for the first time Daniel wished Janet were still there. She would have been able to clear this mess up. Teal'c looked concerned but Jack looked like he didn't care. Daniel felt that it was almost time to set Teal'c on Jack just to pull him out of this stupid mood.

Suddenly Sam went completely silent. She turned away from her team and the medical staff to face the wall. The new doctor, who'd been told that Sam had an alien drug in her system, was trying to take blood but Sam clamped her arms together.

Daniel, ignoring the doctor's glare, walked around the bed to approach Sam from the other side. She had her eyes tightly shut and her arms across her chest. Daniel could see she was taking up the perfect protection position. Sam was going to shut down. Daniel touched her arm and quietly said her name. Sam opened her eyes and looked up at him briefly.

"Please tell them to leave, Daniel. I'm fine. I'll get tested in a minute. Just please tell everyone to go."

The doctor heard the request and could see a patient in clear mental distress. She started to move the rest of SG-1 and the medical team away from Sam. Once Teal'c and Jack had moved – Jack not even looking back – Sam reached out and grabbed Daniel's arm. "I need to speak to General Hammond, in private. Arrange it, please, Daniel. Soon!"

Daniel reluctantly agreed. He wasn't sure what was going on in Sam's mind but he did know that he had a really bad feeling. So he called the General from the little office in the infirmary before going to join his two team mates to have their post-mission medical checks.

The male members of SG-1 finished their exams. They hopped down off the beds and headed for the exit. Both Daniel and Teal'c looked in Sam's direction, even though they couldn't see her as the doctor had pulled the curtain around Sam's bed, but Jack walked straight out the door. Daniel couldn't understand how Jack could be so unfeeling.

Hammond, who had missed SG-1's unexpected arrival due to being at home, given it was only 4am, arrived at the infirmary just as the three were leaving. "Briefing 0700. Get some sleep," he said as they walked past.

"Yes, Sir," Jack replied, still seething at Carter and what he perceived to be her little games.

Daniel and Teal'c headed towards Daniel's lab as Sam had her private briefing with the General, both unable to settle down to sleep. Neither knew where Jack had gone but they assumed he hadn't left the base.

"Sam's going to leave the team, isn't she?" Daniel began after he'd filled a steaming mug of coffee.

"I believe so, DanielJackson. If nothing else, O'Neill no longer respects her. She cannot work in those conditions."

Daniel sighed. "I always thought we'd get broken up when they decided to be together. Not like this. It's a complete mess."

"DanielJackson, do you believe O'Neill was acting unusually today?" Teal'c enquired after a few minutes.

Daniel thought for a time, reviewing the day's disturbing events. "Well, I always knew Jack had a temper and buried things he didn't want to deal with, but yeah, I guess it was unusual for him to act in the way he did."

"We will see what the day brings. I will leave you to think more on this." Teal'c nodded gracefully and walked out of the lab. Daniel was left to sit and brood, very, very worried.

0700 arrived and it was time for the briefing. Teal'c, who was always first but wouldn't sit without another member of his team present, stood behind his usual chair. Jack strolled in, giving an air of controlled boredom, while Daniel arrived clutching books and a cup of coffee.

General Hammond came out of his office to begin the briefing. "Major Carter will not be joining us," he began, indicating with his hands that the group should sit. "When she's fully recovered she'll be joining the team in Nevada, at Area 51." He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Understandably, she will be a huge loss to the SGC. She's given me her explanation and reasons for leaving. However, I'd like you to fill me in on the details."

Ever the diplomat, Daniel began the discussion. "What did Sam tell you, Sir?"

Hammond didn't get a chance to reply.

"_General Hammond and SG-1 to the infirmary, immediately!_" the tinny announcement could be heard, causing the majority of the group – well, all except Jack – to rise quickly and make for the infirmary.

What they found there stunned them. Sam was lying on the floor surrounded by personnel working on her, trying to lift her.

"What happened?" Daniel exclaimed.

One of the doctors turned, acknowledging the three men who'd rushed through the door. She turned to the General. "Sir, she didn't sleep well at all during the night. She kept mumbling that there was 'nothing left'. The nurses thought it was odd but didn't worry about it. Sometime in the last hour she went to the bathroom, found a razor there and slit her wrists."

"Oh, my God!" Daniel responded.

"Will she be alright?" Hammond asked.

"Not sure yet, Sir. We need to get her stabilised," the doctor said as Sam was placed on a bed and attached to various machines.

"Get to work, people," Hammond said before adding, almost to himself, "I should never have left her alone last night."

The monitors began beeping frantically as Jack strolled into the room. "So, what's all the drama then?" he nonchalantly asked.

"MajorCarter tried to end her life, O'Neill," Teal'c stated baldly.

Jack looked at them all for confirmation. "I really didn't think she was that pathetic," he said and walked off.

Daniel was stunned and decided that General Hammond needed to be told everything but didn't get the chance to say anything before the doctor approached them.

"Sir, we're going to move her to the isolation room," the doctor reported to Hammond.

"Very good. Dr Jackson, Teal'c, join me in the observation area. We can monitor her from there." The two remaining members of SG-1 followed their leader, all lost in their own thoughts.

Once in the observation room Daniel resumed the conversation. "Sir, can I start by asking again, what did Sam tell you?"

"Major Carter gave a brief account of the drug she'd been given. She admitted to feelings she had for Colonel O'Neill and how the drug had shown her their strength. She was clear that Colonel O'Neill no longer had any feelings for her, including friendship. She felt it'd be better if she worked in Nevada. Actually, that's not true. She thought it'd be better if she left the program completely. She even indicated something like suicide as an option but I told her everything would be fine and asked her to go to Nevada."

Daniel and Teal'c listened closely to the account Hammond gave them. Daniel fiddled with his glasses and then ran his hand through his hair. It was time for the General to be informed of all the facts. "Sir, the drug was designed to join a female to the one and only male destined to be with her. As the scientist explained it, it's only done once in a female's life. In their culture the female picks, the male agrees, and they... uh… consummate their union."

Teal'c continued the narrative. "MajorCarter made it very clear that she chose O'Neill. He, however, felt she had already chosen someone else and he refused to be her mate."

Hammond nodded.

Daniel finished briefing the General. "Teal'c and I believe something's also been given to Jack. If I can be honest, Sir, we all know that the feelings between Jack and Sam have been pushing the regulations for a few years. He's not acting normally at all now. Eight weeks ago Sam was lost in space and Jack _had_ to find her. He was devastated at her disappearance and, if you remember, so worried about her. Look at him now, his attitude in the infirmary. Something's definitely affecting how he's acting."

"Yes, I agree," Hammond said resignedly. He pressed the button on the microphone and spoke to the doctor in the room below. "Doctor, report!"

"She's stable for the moment, Sir. But I strongly advise that she's put on suicide watch and isn't left to wake alone. Once she's recovered I recommend that she speaks to a counsellor."

"Agreed, Doctor. See to it. Give me updates every hour. Once you have finished I want a full blood work on Colonel O'Neill. It would appear he could also be affected by an alien chemical."

"Yes, Sir. I'll do them right away."

_SG1_

Jack was livid. Because of that stupid female he was stuck in a hospital bed getting needles stuck in him. Large ones, not small. He couldn't believe her. This was so like Sam, he thought, needs to be centre of attention all the time. How pathetic.

The next nurse to bear his wrath was coming to inject something into him. "For cryin' out loud, did y'all take too much that you have to put something back in?"

The nurse wisely didn't respond. She simply injected the surly Colonel and walked away.

Jack was about to make a witty remark when he found himself falling asleep. "Hey! Whaaattt'sss goin' on?" he slurred as he fell back onto the pillows.

_SG1_

General Hammond, Daniel and Teal'c were in the General's office when the young doctor entered to give her report. "Sir, further to our earlier discussion, after finding the foreign substance in Colonel O'Neill's system, we've sedated him and given him what we hope is an antidote. This will hopefully reverse the symptoms that we've witnessed. We'll see what his condition is when he wakes up."

"Very good, Doctor. Excellent work."

"Thank you, Sir." The doctor turned and left the three men, each in their own thoughts. Finding out that Jack had also been drugged had been good in some ways but in others it hadn't really solved anything.

Daniel, forever thinking out loud and willing to inform others of his theories, turned to the other men. "Sir, if I may, I can see a few possible outcomes to the problem at hand." He waited for Hammond to nod in acknowledgement before continuing. "One, Jack'll wake up back to his normal self, Sam'll wake up okay as well, and they'll both want to be with each other. Happily ever after." He looked the General directly in the eye. "Is that even possible for them, Sir?"

Daniel stood and moved around the room not, expecting Hammond to answer. "Two, once they wake up Sam'll hate Jack, Jack'll hate himself, and the SGC will lose them both. Will we be able to stop them?"

His pacing got more fevered. "Finally, nothing will have changed. Sam still hates herself and Jack still hates Sam. I'm not sure any of us could cope with that. What I'm trying to say, Sir, is, what are your options?" Daniel came to an abrupt stop in the centre of the room facing Hammond.

Hammond looked at the younger man, whose face showed his earnest desire to help his friends, and he sighed. "As of last night they're no longer on the same team. Even if they were to agree to just be friends or colleagues, I'd be reluctant to return them to the same team, given what Major Carter told me. As far as regulations go there is, therefore, no problem, but I wouldn't get your hopes up too much. There's been a lot of damage done today. As for your other options, Dr Jackson, we'll just have to stay close to them and remind them that they're victims of a strong alien chemical.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone, sorry this is a few days late, work was hectic. Will respond to all reviews personally but a general thanks to all. For those who expected a longer story from me, this is not it. This is the end of this particular story but 2 more to come in the very near future. Hope you enjoy the ending.**

Chapter 3

The next morning came and neither Daniel nor Teal'c had slept. They'd both been keeping an eye on one of their team mates, occasionally swapping places through the night.

Daniel was with Sam when she awoke. "Daniel? What happened?" she asked, her voice quiet and scratchy.

"What do you remember?" Daniel leaned over and spoon fed her some ice chips, trying to postpone the inevitable conversation.

"I remember being on the planet. I remember what happened with the Colonel. We came back here and I spoke to the General. I was dreaming… about Jack, he…" She suddenly went pale and looked at her wrists. "It's okay, Daniel, I remember now, he doesn't want me." Sam closed her eyes and tears began to fall rapidly down her face.

Daniel held her hand and wiped her face. "It's okay, Sam. Everything's going to be okay."

In the infirmary Jack shot up in bed, suddenly wide awake and holding his head. He looked around and saw only Teal'c. "Did we get drunk last night, T? I have a stinking hangover."

"We did not, O'Neill."

"What _did_ happen last night then, T?"

"Do you not remember, O'Neill?"

"We went to a planet and I had some really weird food. I remember that clearly. Then it all gets a bit blurry. Something about Carter and…"

Jack shot out of the bed and ran to the isolation room. He ordered the guard to open the door, barely waiting for it to open before he darted in. He stood, dumbstruck, as he saw Carter on the bed, wailing, with Daniel holding her. "Oh, God," he whispered, "What have I done?" He quickly turned and left the room, watched by Teal'c and Daniel.

Jack ran. He almost escaped the mountain and, had he not been in a hospital gown, he would have been out of there. However, Hammond caught him and forced him to remain in his quarters. Now he had nothing to do but sit and brood over what he'd done, what he'd said, what Carter had done, and what a complete mess his life – and probably career – was in. He had no concept of how to deal with it. If he were honest, he didn't really think it could be solved. Not for him, anyway. He deserved to be jobless and alone, he deserved the pain. But not Carter, not Sam. He put his head into his hands as memories of the last 24 hours assailed him. He could see only one solution to the problem. He got off the bed and called Hammond.

By the next day Sam was awake and was now fully aware that she had been drugged. She felt calmer today, less likely to do herself damage. She was due at the psychiatrist in 20 minutes. She knew he wouldn't believe that she suddenly felt better but logic told her that if a chemical was the cause it could have already left her system.

Sam was still a little fuzzy on some of the details and her thought processes were a little slow. However, she did know two things for certain: one, she didn't love Pete, he'd just been an excuse to get away from the Colonel; and two, she never wanted to see the Colonel ever again. So, with those two thoughts firmly in her mind, Sam got dressed, having decided it was time to explain all to the 'head' doc and move on with her life away from the SGC.

Daniel and Teal'c arrived at the infirmary in time to walk Sam to her evaluation. Both of them understood how daunting the experience could be. They both hugged her as she got off the bed, relieved to see that she looked better than she had the day before. Daniel shuffled nervously; support was not the only reason they'd come. They had news.

"Err, Sam, before you get going there's something we need to tell you, something you need to know." Daniel moved, shuffling nervously, unsure of how to continue but aware that Sam needed to be informed.

"Yesterday we contacted the planet where you and Jack were drugged. We spoke to the scientist who helped us to escape and he confirmed that Jack was given a drug. Do you remember the old guy? The one who got really mad?" Sam nodded. "Well, he's a seer or something. He knew you'd pick Jack and wanted you for himself. He gave Jack a drug to make him hate you and planned to take you for himself when Jack refused you." Sam's eyes widened at that piece of news. "Jack didn't mean what he said to you, you know. He ahh… he hates himself now."

Sam sat back on the bed, unsure if her legs would hold her up. She stared at Daniel, trying to work out how to process this new information in her already jumbled mind. "He didn't mean it?" Sam clarified with a quiet voice.

"No, Sam, he didn't. I promise," Daniel restated.

"Where is he?" Sam asked, her voice getting a little stronger. Daniel squirmed and even Teal'c moved nervously.

"Daniel, where is he?" Sam's voice was now firm and demanding.

"He left, Sam, handed in his resignation. Said he didn't feel fit to serve anymore."

"When did he go? Where did he go?" Sam asked, getting agitated.

"About half an hour ago and home, I think. He wasn't talking much," Daniel replied.

Sam jumped off the bed and ran to the door, almost colliding with the psychiatrist as he came to look for her. "I'm fine," she stated, running past him. "And, even if I'm not, you can't help me. Only he can."

For the first time in her military life Sam ignored an order from a superior officer and effectively went AWOL. Of course, since it was General Hammond calling and he knew exactly where she was going, he chose to ignore it.

Sam left the base as quickly as she could, got in her car, and sped to Jack's house. 'He didn't mean it,' the mantra kept playing in her head. She pulled up behind his pickup with a spray of stones and noticed all the boxes in the back of his truck. Jack was packing, leaving! Sam sat in her car, unsure what to say or do now that she was there.

Jack came out of the front door carrying more stuff. He stopped dead seeing her car. He hadn't expected her to come and he had no idea what to say to her. He just wanted to get away from it all. Jack took a deep breath, sighed, and began to walk down the steps to his truck.

All Sam's doubts about the last few days slammed back into her mind when she saw him. She needed to hear it from him, whether he really did mean it all or not. Sam got out of her car and slowly walked towards Jack as he placed the boxes he was carrying in his truck, steeling herself for the conversation to come.

"Did you mean it?" Sam leapt in feet first, foregoing all the usual pleasantries.

Jack spun around to face her, knowing exactly what she was talking about: the comments he'd made in the cell, the ones where he'd told her that she meant nothing to him. His distress at her question and the obvious memory they brought up was written all over his face. Sam almost didn't need him to answer but she waited.

Jack looked directly into Sam's eyes as he answered simply and honestly, "No, I didn't mean it." He took a breath, ran his fingers through his hair, and realised he'd have to explain further. "I'm sorry for what I said, sorry I hurt you. I'm going to the cabin. I need to get away." He could no longer look at her so resumed packing the truck.

Sam stood watching him for a few minutes. He was really going to go. Her mouth got dry but she needed to say something. Then, in a flash, it all became clear, so she decided to take a leap of faith. "Can I come?" she asked tentatively.

Jack whipped around with a look of complete disbelief on his face. He didn't say anything and Sam, feeling even more nervous, began to babble.

"I need to get away, too, and I was hurt… but I can only get over it with you." She couldn't say any more. She'd bared everything to him and if he rejected her now she'd completely crumble.

Jack turned back to the truck, still not saying anything.

Sam could feel her heart breaking, even more than yesterday when she'd had that chemical running through her. This was real.

Sam turned to walk back to her car. "Goodbye, Jack," she said quietly and started to walk quickly, determined not to fall apart in front of him.

"Wait, Sam!" Jack ran over to her, slight desperation in his voice.

"What, Jack?" Sam spun towards him, anger flashing in her blue eyes. Jack was still standing facing her, not saying anything.

Sam was infuriated. "You can't keep doing this. I came to deal with things between us and you leave me hanging. Choose, Jack. You need to choose now because I'm leaving now and I won't be back!"

Sam was mad. In fact, Jack didn't think he'd ever seen her as angry as she was now. He knew he needed to say something, and quick. He looked at her and like a blinding flash it came to him. "You. I choose you, every time," he said quietly, moving towards her and cupping her chin. He stared into her eyes, trying to convey all the emotions he was feeling for her. "Please come with me," he finally said.

Sam had tears in her eyes. There was nothing she could do but hug him and nod into his shoulder. She was exhausted, emotionally and mentally. Jack could tell she was struggling to hold it together.

"Let's go inside. We can leave tomorrow after we pick up some things for you." Jack pulled away from her, took her hand, and began to pull her towards his house.

Sam suddenly pulled back from him, then leaned up and kissed him. She broke away and giggled.

"I need to call the mountain first. It's possible I'm AWOL!"

"Oh, crap." Jack took Sam's hand back and pulled her to the house. They'd get that little wrinkle sorted out then head off to the cabin. Jack could never have expected such a horrific mission would turn out so well.


End file.
